Durham/Newcastle Centre for the History of Medicine, University of Durham

Durham/Newcastle Centre for the History of Medicine, University of Durham

Department Name

Durham/Newcastle Centre for the History of Medicine

Institution Name

University of Durham

Departmental Information

Department Profile

With the support of a £325,000 Wellcome Trust Enhancement Award, the medical historians at the Universities of Durham and Newcastle have formed a joint new Northern Centre for the History of Medicine (NCHM). The activities of the NCHM comprise a co-ordinated research programme, a Masters training programme in the History of Medicine, a number of PhD projects, a series of seminars/workshops/conferences, teaching initiatives within the medical curriculum, and a series of public engagement activities. Building on the close historical ties between the two Universities and on their international reputation for research in the history of medicine and science, one of the NCHM’s particular strengths is its coverage of the whole Western medical tradition from antiquity until the twentieth century. A further characteristic is its strong interest in the history of medical ideas and the cultural history of medicine (from a comparative perspective), in particular in the epistemological, ethical and historiographical justifications of medical theory and practice offered through time. A related point of common interest is in the history of the communication of medical knowledge to wider audiences. Accordingly, the centre’s five-year research strategy is concerned with the theme “Justifying Medicine: Historical Perspectives”, focusing on three specific sub-areas: (1) The justification of medicine as a science; (2) The ethical justification of medical research and practice; (3) The self-presentation of the medical profession and the dissemination of medical ideas.

Ancient, medieval and early-modern medicine; medicine and philosophy; comparative history of medicine in the Eastern Mediterranean; history of medical ethics; medicine and law; animal experimentation; pharmacology; sexuality and the body; venereal disease; public health policy; historiography of medicine

Special Resources

Durham University Library has up-to-date research collections in History of Medicine and in History and Philosophy of Science, holds all major journals in the field, and houses the Kellett Collection on early modern anatomy and surgery. Newcastle’s Robinson Library houses an excellent History of Medicine research collection and has two special collections related to medical history: the Pybus Collection (a rich collection of historical medical works from the 16th century onwards, engravings, letters, portraits and busts), and the Medical Collection (a large collection of 18th- and 19th- century medical works).

Course & Degrees

Undergraduate Units

Special Study Modules for medical studentsTaught

Postgraduate Courses

MA in History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine (Durham)

Contact Details

Contact Name

Prof Andreas-Holger Maehler

Postal Address

Centre for the History of Medicine and Disease, Wolfson Research Institute, University of Durham Queen’s Campus, University Boulevard, Stockton-on-Tees TS17 6BH